Page 29 of Dark Shaman: Love Found (The Children Of The Gods #99)

ELUHEED

T he basement stairs creaked under their feet as Eluheed followed Tamira down into the darkness.

His hand found the light switch from memory, flooding the space with harsh fluorescent light that made them both blink.

The silence that enveloped them was profound—no servants bustling about, no guards standing watch, no eyes tracking their every movement.

"We're actually alone," Tamira breathed, turning to face him at the bottom of the stairs. "Utterly and completely alone."

He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. "Two and a half hours," he murmured against her neck. "That's not enough."

"Then we shouldn't waste them standing here." She pulled back, her eyes bright with anticipation. "Come on. There must be a bed somewhere among all those furnishings."

A grin spread over his face. "I like the way you think. "

"I'm pragmatic." She took his hand and led him deeper into the basement.

The space seemed to stretch endlessly, corridors branching off in multiple directions. Without the pressure of maintaining appearances, they could explore freely as they navigated the maze.

"Wait." She stopped, looking toward the back of the space. "What's that?"

Eluheed followed her gaze to where metal bars sectioned off part of the basement. He'd noticed it on their previous excursion. It was where the construction work had been.

"Let's look," she said.

They walked over to the bars, which ran from floor to ceiling, and behind the bars was glass that also ran from top to bottom, enclosing the concrete area.

"What requires bars in addition to glass?" he wondered aloud.

"And why is the entire floor covered in sand?" Tamira asked, pressing her face between the bars.

It had been carefully leveled and seemed to be at least a meter deep.

"That's strange," he said. "Why would the lord want to put sand in here?"

"It looks like Navuh brought the beach to his basement," Tamira said with a laugh. "Maybe he's planning to build an indoor beach resort. Add some palm trees, a wave machine, and voilà—tropical paradise underground with perfect climate control. No need to bake in the sun."

Eluheed studied the setup more carefully. The walls in that section looked like reinforced concrete with what appeared to be climate control vents. "It serves a purpose," he said. "Someone trucked all this sand in here for a reason."

"What purpose requires tons of sand in a basement?"

"I have no idea."

"This was the construction project," Tamira said, making the same connection. "This must be what they were working on. But why sand?"

"Maybe it's for whatever they retrieved from the harem," Eluheed suggested, remembering those containers. "Perhaps what was inside those chests were artifacts Navuh brought with him from the desert, and they need specific storage conditions."

"In sand?" She looked skeptical. "What could possibly need that?"

A sound from above made them both freeze—footsteps crossing the floor. They held their breath until the footsteps faded.

"We're wasting time." Tamira turned away from the bars. "I don't want to spend the precious minutes we have pondering Navuh's strange choices."

She was right. Whatever mystery the sand represented, it could wait. They had more pressing needs .

Eluheed took Tamira's hand, and they continued to where the furniture was stored. They walked past the familiar crates they'd explored during their previous visit.

"Look at this." Tamira stopped beside a massive shape covered in a dusty tarp. "What do you think is under there?"

"Only one way to find out." Eluheed grabbed one corner of the tarp while she took another. They pulled together, sending dust motes dancing in the fluorescent light.

What emerged made them both gasp. It was a four-poster bed, massive and ornate, carved from mahogany. The posts were topped with elaborate finials, the headboard was a work of art, intricate patterns of vines and flowers carved deep into the wood.

"It's magnificent." Tamira ran her hand along one of the posts. "This must be from when the house was a villa. Can you imagine Navuh sleeping in something so romantic all by himself?"

Eluheed couldn't. "Maybe it wasn't his. Perhaps it was in some fancy guest room. At least I hope that's where it was. I don't want to make love to you on his bed."

She arched a brow. "Why not?"

"I just don't, but beggars can't be choosers, right? The mattress looks comfortable." He sat on the bed and bounced. "It is."

"We need sheets," Tamira said breathily. "And pillows. I remember seeing boxes of linens when we looked through things before. "

He'd noticed them on their last expedition, filing the information away with the instinct of someone who'd learned to always note resources and escape routes. "I'll get them."

He found the boxes exactly where he remembered, labeled in fading ink as Guest Linens. He grabbed the box, carrying it back to where Tamira waited.

She'd been busy in his absence, clearing away smaller boxes and furniture to create more space around the bed. Together, they opened the linen box, finding sheets that smelled of lavender and were surprisingly well preserved.

"Silk," Tamira said, holding up a pillowcase to the light. "Of course, it would be silk."

They worked together to make the bed, their movements synchronized as if they had done it a thousand times before. Every brush of their fingers sent electricity through him. Every shared glance held promises of what was to come.

When they were done, Eluheed looked at the tarps they had dropped in a pile on the floor. "I have an idea. Let's put those back up. They will hide us in case someone decides to come down here despite Lord Navuh's instructions."

"They are covered in dust," she pointed out.

"I'll shake them out, and then we will put them up carefully."

She nodded. "Our own little hideout. I like it."

It was much better than being exposed in the middle of the expanse of the basement .

When they were done, they were both covered in dust, but a few strong pats took care of most of it. Besides, they weren't going to stay clothed for long.

"My lady?" He lifted the tarp for her to crawl inside.

Tamira toed off her shoes and pushed them under the bed before crawling into the space he'd made.

Eluheed followed her inside and let the tarp drop. If not for the illumination coming from Tamira's eyes, they would have been plunged into total darkness.

Their lips met in a kiss that was different from all the desperate, stolen kisses before. This one was slow, thorough, a promise that they had time. Not enough time, never enough, but more than they'd had in weeks.

Her hands went to his shirt, unbuttoning it with steady fingers. His own hands tangled in her hair, releasing it from the pins that held it back. It cascaded down her back like dark silk, and he buried his face in it, breathing in her scent.

"I've dreamed of this," she whispered against his neck. "Every night in that damn black and white bed, I've dreamed of you."

"No more dreaming," he promised. "We're here. We're real. This is real."

What followed was a reunion of bodies too long separated.

Every touch was reverent yet hungry, every kiss an attempt to make up for weeks of deprivation.

The silk sheets grew warm beneath them as they relearned each other's bodies, mapping familiar territory with the joy of explorers returning home.

"I missed this," Tamira breathed. "I missed you. Your presence, your warmth, the way you make me feel alive."

He understood. In all his centuries of existence, Eluheed had never felt as present, as real, as he did with her. She anchored him, made his long life feel like it had more purpose than just being the guardian of a treasure that was still waiting for him to retrieve it.

Every moment with her was precious because he didn't know when they'd have one again. The two hours they still had felt like both forever and no time at all. The mysterious room full of sand didn't matter.

Only this mattered.

Skin against skin, breath mingling with breath, two souls finding solace in each other despite the impossible circumstances.